Brevard County Fire Rescue Training

Training Division

The BCFR Training Division is responsible for the initial training of all new hire firefighters and for the required continuing education of incumbent members of the department. Required training for personnel covers many areas including: structural firefighting, EMS services, technical rescue, hazardous materials, and mass-casualty incidents.

The staff also ensures that ongoing professional development training is provided to the members of the department. Continuous training and professional development is critical to ensure that we are able to deliver the most efficient and effective services possible to our community. This ensures the safety of our members in providing the wide range of services our department offers.

Incident Command Training Center (CTC)

This state-of-the-art facility is located at our headquarters and represents the future of incident command training. Using interactive simulations of routine and large-scale incidents, Chief and Company officers are given the opportunity to develop and hone the skills necessary to successfully manage fire ground emergencies. Ultimately, these command decisions will result in the preservation of property and the reduction of firefighter and civilian injuries and deaths.

Our CTC training program utilizes the Blue Card Command curriculum and is one of only two recognized Blue Card Command Training Centers in Florida. The training is based entirely on retired Fire Chief Alan Brunacini’s Fire Command and Command Safety Textbooks which have been used globally in the Fire Service for over 30 years. The program requires participants to successfully complete a 50-hour online course before being evaluated in the Simulation Laboratory. The evaluation process is completed over a three day period at the CTC and participants who successfully complete both portions of the program receive nationally recognized certification as a “Blue Card Incident Commander.”

Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Lab

Still under construction, the EMS Lab will be located on the second floor of the Timothy J. Mills Fire Rescue Center. The lab will provide personnel with the tools and equipment necessary to ensure they are providing a “gold standard” service to our community. Incorporating simulated training experiences allows our members to hone many of the high-risk, low-frequency skills in a controlled setting while building on real-world experience. The EMS lab is also designed as a learning center for the introduction of new protocols, equipment, and medications before they are placed into service on the rescue units.

Burn Building

BCFR utilizes the Dräger Swede Survival training system, a live fire training simulator that is a multi-level configuration of metal shipping containers in which firefighters can practice staging, entry techniques, and search and rescue techniques. The building is designed and engineered for the controlled burning of normal, Class A combustibles (wood, paper, etc.) to replicate conditions experienced during interior structural firefighting scenarios. The building features a burn room on each floor, a standpipe system for training crews on high-rise fires, a roof ventilation training area, and multiple locations where fireground ladder placement techniques can be mastered.

Flashover Simulator

A flashover occurs when a fire heats the contents of an enclosed space to the point that they all ignite simultaneously, burning everything within that space.  The Flashover Simulator provides firefighters the ability to watch the stages of fire development in a controlled environment.  Instructors are able to demonstrate fire behavior and teach firefighters appropriate fire suppression techniques based on the fire growth. The ultimate goal is to teach every member of the department to recognize, prevent, and survive a flashover scenario on the fire ground.